This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There was a time not too long ago when cellphones were scorned by anglers and hunters while on the water or in the field.
But things have changed as smartphones have become the means for capturing grip-n-grin fishing pictures and hunting hero shots.
There even are ways to create acceptable ring tones while in the marsh or on the mountain as hunters record or download duck calls and elk bugles.
Recognizing the change, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has developed a free hunting and fishing app for Apple and Android devices.
"We purposely held off because we wanted to make sure we could provide reasons for people to leave the app on their phone and not delete it after two weeks," said Kenny Johnson, administrative services chief for the state wildlife agency.
The function that could keep the app most relevant is a feature that allows hunters and anglers to download licenses on their phone.
Even more appealing for anglers is a function that turns the border on an expired fishing license from green to red to let people know it is time to get a new license.
Avid fisherman Matthew Brown of Murray downloaded the app Friday. His favorite feature: the license option.
"This app is going to be a real lifesaver. Last year I almost went out fishing on an expired license and thought I'd better doublecheck — it was as almost four weeks overdue," Brown said. "Having the app alert me when it expires will be really helpful."
Multiple licenses from different people can be saved on one phone — a useful feature for families with older anglers who may not have a smartphone or groups including Boy Scouts or church groups going on fishing trips.
Hunters will appreciate a function that allows them to see boundaries for the area of their hunting permits, and then check to make sure they are staying within the unit.
"There is a hot link that shows your hunting area and it opens up a map in the background showing the boundaries," Johnson said. "You can geolocate yourself and it will tell you if you are in the right place."
The app includes illustrations of fish (sport, non-game and endangered), waterfowl and upland game birds to help anglers and hunters — and wildlife enthusiasts as well — identify species in the field. Illustrations came from the printed and Web hunting and fishing guides provided by the state.
Already app users have suggested changes.
Brown wondered why pictures were not used instead of, or in addition to, the illustrations.
"I can understand why they don't do it in the proclamations because the print quality isn't great, but with an app, they could get some nice, high-resolution photos," Brown said. "Sometimes the real thing doesn't look like an illustration, but a photo can be really helpful."
Johnson said the illustrations were a natural step from the guides and that photos will likely be added in updates on the app.
Other useful features of the app include a list of shooting hours for hunters, ways to report poachers or suspicious activity, maps of walk-in hunting and fishing access points and notices for wildlife meetings and wildlife watching activities.
DWR developed the app with help from Utah Interactive.
Twitter: @BrettPrettyman —
Wild Utah apps
Utah Hunting and Fishing, the new app from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources can be downloaded free from iTunes for Apple devices or the Google Play Store for Android devices.
Pocket Ranger, the app for Utah State Parks and Recreation, also is available for Apple and Android devices.